Frank Buckles was presented with a $5,000 donation in his name to the World War I Memorial Foundation from the Sons of the Revolution in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Tom Vance and Doug Payne visited Buckles at his farm near Charles Town, W. Va., in February to offer the organization’s contribution to the establishment of a national World War I memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. They also gave Buckles an award for his patriotic service. Buckles joined the Sons in 1948.

A benefit reception to support the Memorial will be hosted by the World War I Memorial Foundation on Monday, November 9, 2009, at the Woodrow Wilson House in Washington, D.C. A donation of $150 is suggested. Speakers will include former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) and distinguished architects Hugh Newell Jacobson, FAIA, and Arthur Cotton Moore, FAIA.

The event will feature an exhibit of photographs of the last survivors of the Great War by foundation trustee and noted photographer David DeJonge of Grand Rapids, Mich. DeJonge spent two years traveling around the world finding and photographing the last surviving veterans. The photographs will be on public view at Woodrow Wilson House Nov. 5-12.

Warner said, “As a sailor in the Navy during the last year of World War II, and the son of a World War I veteran, I am delighted to lend my support to the foundation’s work to ensure that an appropriate memorial will soon represent the contributions of all Americans who fought -- with the support of those on the home-front -- during World War I to defend the cause of freedom.”

The Fox News national TV network ran a report over the Fourth of July weekend on the need for a national World War I Memorial. The report featured interviews with Frank Buckles and with Edwin Fountain, one of the directors of the Foundation.

As a reminder, we have begun an on-line petition asking Congress to re-dedicate the District of Columbia War Memorial as a national memorial. If you haven't done so, please sign and ask your family and friends to do the same.

Thanks again for your support.

On March 6-7, the Foundation hosted a very special event for students from Houston, TX and Washington, DC. Students from Creekwood Middle School outside Houston and from Capital City Public Charter School in Washington independently adopted the DC War Memorial as a cause, and both groups undertook "service-learning" projects to learn about World War I and to raise funds for the memorial. A delegation of three students and about a dozen teachers and parents traveled from Houston to Washington last week, and met the students from Capital City at the Memorial for a "sweep and greet" to call attention to the poor condition of the memorial. Media from WAMU 88.5 (the local NPR station), WTOP 105.3 (local news radio), Fox 5 News, the Associated Press, and the Washington Times attended. The next day, the Creekwood contingent drove to the Charles Town, WV home of our honorary chairman and last surviving American veteran of World War I, Frank Buckles, to present him with a check for $13,500.

Here is the news report on Channel 5

Frank W. Buckles, of Charles Town, West Virginia, turned 108 on February 1. Mr. Buckles is the honorary chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation, and the last surviving American veteran of the Great War. As the years went on, Mr. Buckles said, "I realized I'd be one of the last, but I never thought I'd be the last." He added, "Of course, if it has to be somebody, it might as well be me." Mr. Buckles was honored at the White House and the Pentagon last year, and has been advocating for the re-dedication of the District of Columbia War Memorial as a national World War I memorial.

Creekwood Middle School in Houston, Texas, and Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX) will host Foundation president David DeJonge and his exhibit of photographs of the world's last survivors of World War I on February 9, 2009. The school has taken on support for the restoration and preservation of the District of Columbia War Memorial as this year's service learning project. The event marks the beginning of a national tour of David DeJonge's photographs. The students will engage in cross-curricular studies of World War I and will sell World War I donor tags to raise money and awareness concerning preservation of the World War I monument. See the following link for more information:

Creekwood Middle School's 2009 Service Learning Project on the World War One Memorial Exhibit